A juicy familial soap opera, I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed The Heiress. Having read Rachel Hawkins' previous novel, The Villa (which I did like, just that it was nowhere near the thrill it was being advertised as), I had my expectation set low, ready for another slow-burn drama, with the lightest dash of mystery. To my delight, while the core elements remained the same, they were dialed in perfectly this time around, with the right amount of gothic atmosphere, larger-than-life moments, and snarky humor. The way the plot unfold was its strongest strength: multiple POVs and epistolary format really kept the experience fresh, even if most of its reveals were not overly surprising on their own—I was here for the journey, not necessarily the outcome.

While I cannot fully vouch for this comparison (since I've not read any novels from this author), but The Heiress has the feel of what I expect from a V. C. Andrews story (themes of family secret, old family money, grooming, etc.). As an easy pick-me-up that's a little formulaic, but well executed, The Heiress hits the spot.

I really enjoyed this novel. I did not see the twists coming and I was heavily invested in the characters and the relationships between them.

A common trend with Hawkins’ books seems to be an upsell of the gothic genre but none of her books have satisfied those requirements for me as a reader. Delving into this book, I expected a suspenseful thriller but it was slow moving and lacking intrigue for most of the novel.
Hawkins’ writing always keeps me engaged, but I never feel fully satisfied at the end. Maybe it’s not gothic enough for me or maybe I am expecting something else based on the blurbs that never seem to match up. Either way, the book really picked up towards the end - though it may have wrapped up a little tightly.

I was not wowed by this book. There is a tangled web of lies and manipulation, but it was neither thrilling nor particularly mysterious to watch the web unwind. There weren’t any twists or shocking reveals. Everyone is a terrible person and they did terrible things to each other to preserve themselves. I don’t particularly care for books that use letters to reveal important details, and this book used both letters and newspaper articles as a crutch to tell the meat of the story. I’d recommend skipping this one.

Camden McTavish hasn't been home in over a decade. There are simply too many ghosts roaming the halls of Ashby House, not to mention a hateful aunt and two leechy cousins who see Camden as a thief and outsider. When Cam's wife talks him into going home, things get super weird. And then they get even weirder.

This was my first book by Rachel Hawkins and it will not be my last. There were so many compelling things in this book. First, Baby Ruby, lost in the woods and recovered from a family in Alabama almost a year later. But... really? Next, Ruby has written letters, sprinkled throughout the book, chronicling her marriages that are alike in only one way: they were all super messed up. Then, there's the vicious, spiteful aunt and her two affluenza-infected devil spawn grandchildren. Everyone has made mistakes, committed misdeeds, everyone harbors secrets. This young couple has dropped their entire lives to move halfway across the country and... bury the hatchet? The prize everyone is fighting over is a massive fortune and those who have it don't want it, those who want it can't have it. The tension in this book penetrates every aspect of the story and it's tight enough to snap at any moment. And just when you think you've got things figured out there's a twist. The twists are so tiny and yet so significant. You won't be able to pull yourself away.

I love suspense/thrillers and I used to love gothic romances, this book is a bit of a combination of the two genres, certainly more suspense than romance but more than a little gothic. If you enjoy that type of novel this is definitely a great one to check out.

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

Rachel Hawkins has really come into her own. This book is her best one yet!

When Jules' husband gets a letter from his family that he is needed at home, she is ready to pack up her small abode in Colorado and move to the Appalachian mountains. Where she finds an uninviting family and a large estate that belongs to her husband.

This story goes between a wealthy heiress starting in the 1950's and present day Jules. The heiress has four dead husbands but is she to blame? And Jules seems a little too eager to pick up and move, are they both innocent or do they have something to hide?

If you like unreliable narrators, parallel timelines and twisty plots then this is the one for you!

Another twisty novel from Rachel Hawkins. The one thing I also expect, is the unexpected and Hawkins delivers again with "The Heiress." A story of money and family, and everything between. The best part, the secrets unfold until the very last page.

I really wanted to like this book but it just didn’t draw me in like I had hoped. This is my 2nd Rachel Hawkins book and I was not super impressed with the first one either. I wish I could get into them like others do, but I just don’t think she’s for me.
Thanks NetGalley for allowing me to read The Heiress!

This highly entertaining novel keeps the surprises coming. A multi-generational family of great wealth, with a full set of unpleasant--and dangerous--members and a mansion to rival that of the Vanderbilt's nearby Biltmore estate, dominates the nearby town as well as the adopted orphan boy who, through the machinations of Ruby (the titular heiress) has inherited it all as an adult--much to the extreme displeasure of the others. Having lived on the other side of the country for ten years to escape them, he now returns with his young wife only to find the nest of vipers he grew up in is still waiting to strike. Through Ruby Kenmore's own letters, we learn about each of her many marriages and how she came to be called Mrs. Kill-more. But there are yet more surprises and deceptions waiting, right up to the end. Masterful writing makes this atmospheric novel a great pleasure to read!

Posted to Goodreads on August 17, 2023
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5775439226

Finished this one in 24 hours! I loved the way it was written between Cam and Jules’ perspectives but we also got letters from Ruby and news articles that filled in more gaps of the story. It’s always fun when you can’t figure out if you should be rooting for the main characters or what secrets they are hiding. I loved the way the story unfolded and kept me interested from start to finish. Can’t wait for it to be released so I can recommend it to my friends.

Give me all the Gothic Suspense! I liveee for books like this.

I really enjoyed this one. This gave me Evelyn Hugo vibes - but better (in my opinion, because your girl loves to solve some murders!) I loved the author's sense of humor and writing style. I loved the FMC. I loved that it was a short read and the author kept up the pace so I stayed engaged and curious. This is my first Rachel Hawkins book, and I look forward to adding more to my library.

You can get your copy of The Heiress on January 9, 2024.

Thank you #netgalley and #stmartinspress for a gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

QUICK SYNOPSIS:
When Ruby McTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore dies, she’s not only North Carolina’s richest woman, she’s also its most notorious. The victim of a famous kidnapping as a child and a widow four times over, Ruby ruled the tiny town of Tavistock from Ashby House, her family’s estate high in the Blue Ridge mountains. In the aftermath of her death, that estate―along with a nine-figure fortune and the complicated legacy of being a McTavish―pass to her adopted son, Camden.

After The Villa, I thought Rachel had written her best suspense/thriller, but with The Heiress, I think she tops it. Characters that you love, or hate, or love to hate, or hate that you love...everyone with secrets and their own agenda. I didn't suspect the midpoint twist, or the final turn and big reveal, which made them all the more enjoyable. The way she writes about Ashby House and its residents, you believe even the seemingly outrageous could come to pass. Another enjoyable read that kept me turning the page, looking for more and more about the McTavish family. I can't wait to see what she comes up with next!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

Baby Ruby was kidnapped in the forest surrounding her sprawling mountain. Upon return, she married four times, each of her husbands dying a tragic and somewhat suspicious death. She then adopted a child and lived out her days as a somewhat God like figure of her small town. Years later, her child is summoned to return to the mansion and fortune that has been passed down to him. He brings his wife, who has her own secrets and gets reacquainted with his family, who are selfish and hateful. The mansion brings about horrible things in all who enter, what will it bring out in Cam and Jules?

This was a 3.5 ⭐️.
I did enjoy this, but the first half is very, very slow and somewhat boring. Despite being a shorter book, it feels long and I would never call this a thriller. The writing is good, there are dual perspectives with Cam and Jules, but also Ruby’s letters which offer a look into the past. All this is interwoven with letters, articles and more that give the story, and history, context. The story really picks up around the 55% mark, and then goes with a ton of unexpected twists and turns. I definitely enjoyed the second half of the story more than the first. There isn’t a lot of on the edge of your seat kind of tension, it’s more of a slow mystery than a thriller. The story is good, I enjoyed the ending and the twists.
Read this is you enjoy unlikeable and unreliable characters and a good mystery with many twists.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the free preview in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book! The twists throughout held my interest the entire time and I really enjoyed how they came together. I have been in a thriller reading slump lately and this was just what needed to break it!

Thank you NetGalley for the arc!

I am speechless. Everyone has a secret. Nobody can be trusted. There are twists until the vary last page.

The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins did not disappoint. From the first page I was completely enthralled in the stories of Camden, Jules and Ruby. This book contained one twist after another and left me with goosebumps.

Told in multiple points of view, the reader is left questioning every character throughout the entire story. In the end, you will be left surprised in the greatest way. I highly recommend this book!

Rachel Hawkins’ writing style continues to age like fine wine. I first read RECKLESS GIRLS and it was a little juvenile, a little high stakes low reward for me. Then I read THE VILLA as an ARC last year and was pleasantly surprised at the way pop culture references were woven into the story for greater depth and meaning. Then I was approved for THE HEIRESS and my standards were raised yet again! This story had all the elements I loved from THE SEVEN HUSBANDS OF EVELYN HUGO, along with murder, kidnapping, and hidden motives. It was dark without being heavy, a quick and satisfying thrill, and didn’t sacrifice plot pacing for the beautiful intricacies in the story and character relationships. Well, well done!!

Rachel Hawkins you did it again! There has not been a RH book I didn't love! The Heiress had me anticipating the next page before I finished the last!

Delightful popcorn of a book! I devoured this in under 24 hours - so fun, engaging, and impossible to put down. Told through alternating viewpoints of a couple with secrets, as well as through letters and news articles, the format of the book doesn’t miss either. As for the plot - well yes, it is beyond improbable but put that aside and it is so fun to untangle the web of deceit the characters have spun.

3.75⭐️ (rounded up)

I could not put this book down; I actually read it in one sitting. This is my first book by the author, and I will definitely read more in the future. There is a lot of buildup and drama in this story, which might have lowered my rating slightly. I really enjoyed the alternating povs and timelines, I think it added a lot to the story.

I definitely recommend to readers who like the drama aspect and stories about complicated families. To me, it did read a little more like a drama than a thriller which is what I was expecting. However, the last 20% did really pack a punch!

Thank you for this arc!